204 Early Agriculture
with the sick and the dead, by cutting new windows to admit the north wind, and
shutting out the infected winds, by changing the position of doors, and other pre-
cautions of the same kind, bring back his comrades and his servants in good
health?^7
V. ‘But as I have stated the origin and the limits of the science, it remains to
determine the number of its divisions.’ ‘Really,’ said Agrius, ‘it seems to me that
they are endless, when I read the many books of Theophrastus, those which are
entitled “The History of Plants” and “The Causes of Vegetation”.’ ‘His books,’
replied Stolo, ‘are not so well adapted to those who wish to tend land as to those
who wish to attend the schools of the philosophers;^8 which is not to say that they
do not contain matter which is both profitable and of general interest. So, then, do
you rather explain to us the divisions of the subject.’ ‘The chief divisions of agri-
culture are four in number,’ resumed Scrofa: ‘First, a knowledge of the farm, com-
prising the nature of the soil and its constituents; second, the equipment needed
for the operation of the farm in question; third, the operations to be carried out on
the place in the way of tilling; and fourth, the proper season for each of these
operations. Each of these four general divisions is divided into at least two subdivi-
sions: the first comprises questions with regard to the soil as such, and those which
pertain to housing and stabling. The second division, comprising the movable
equipment which is needed for the cultivation of the farm, is also subdivided into
two: the persons who are to do the farming, and the other equipment. The third,
which covers operations, is subdivided: the plans to be made for each operation,
and where each is to be carried on. The fourth, covering the seasons, is subdivided:
those which are determined by the annual revolution of the sun, and those deter-
mined by the monthly revolution of the moon. I shall discuss first the four chief
divisions, and then the eight subdivisions in more detail.
VI. ‘First, then, with respect to the soil of the farm, four points must be con-
sidered: the conformation of the land, the quality of the soil, its extent, and in
what way it is naturally protected. As there are two kinds of conformation, the
natural and that which is added by cultivation, in the former case one piece of land
being naturally good, another naturally bad, and in the latter case one being well
tilled, another badly, I shall discuss first the natural conformation. There are, then,
with respect to the topography, three simple types of land – plain, hill and moun-
tain; though there is a fourth type consisting of a combination of these, as, for
instance, on a farm which may contain two or three of those named, as may be
seen in many places. Of these three simple types, undoubtedly a different system
is applicable to the lowlands than to the mountains, because the former are hotter
than the latter; and the same is true of hillsides, because they are more temperate
than either the plains or the mountains. These qualities are more apparent in broad
stretches, when they are uniform; thus the heat is greater where there are broad
plains, and hence in Apulia the climate is hotter and more humid, while in mountain
regions, as on Vesuvius, the air is lighter and therefore more wholesome. Those who
live in the lowlands suffer more in summer; those who live in the uplands suffer more
in winter; the same crops are planted earlier in the spring in the lowlands than in the